Now that Texas is completely dry, it will burn! by Kwicko

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

just a bump

Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in taxpayer funded bailouts, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes?

Yeah, me neither....

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Monday, September 5, 2011 11:13 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Oh crap, Mike, I'm so sorry! For you, all the others around you, the animals AND the countryside!

One reason you may have heard it now 0% contained is what I heard from some fire marshall or something on TV this morning: "We're not calling any of them contained until it rains". Nice logic, but there IS some logic in there, in that hot spots can remain.

Cedar--jezus! We've got tons and tons of eucalyptus trees planted around here by early settlers, which they're working to eradicate. They're just like cedar; they don't burn, they explode (from the oil). I sincerely hope the fires don't get at THEM!

Would be nice if his mansion would burn down; usually try not to wish bad luck on anyone, but where he's concerned, I'll make an exception!

Be careful what you breathe, okay? No sense dying of smoke if you're not a smoker!

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Monday, September 5, 2011 11:53 AM

I was wondering about you with these fires. I'm glad they're far away. Hope they stay there!

There's another tropical storm possibly forming in the Gulf - I'm a little addicted to tropical storm reports. "Surface trough over Gulf of Mexico behind Lee could eventually lead to another tropical depression or storm" according to weather.com. I think they mean the scraps of Lee currently just north of the Yucatan. I saw a map earlier today but can't find it now.

I am rooting for it to form up and go your way. As a storm of course, not a hurricane!

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hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

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Monday, September 5, 2011 3:07 PM

Y'know, it's weird - Austin doesn't really get much in the way of "Autumn" - most of the trees stay green year 'round because it rarely freezes. But because it's so dry now, trees by the thousands are dying from lack of water - look at the hillsides, and you'd almost swear it was a New England autumn - yellows, reds, browns, and some greens. Even the hearty live oaks have changed to a kind of olive-green/brownish color now.

And there's so much in the way of greenbelts and nature areas that when a fire gets loose in one of the greenbelts, it will just run right through an entire area.

It really struck me yesterday when I was out for a drive (loving the break in the heat; it's 20º cooler than it was a week ago!) - I've never seen Austin look like this. And if I didn't know it was because of the drought, it would be pretty. As it is, it's just heartbreaking, because lots of this growth is OLD, and it's never coming back. We live in a kind of perpetual standoff with developers around here; where we see greenbelts, spring-fed creeks and natural beauty, they see great views and million-dollar lots - and they want to build, build, build, right up until the ecosystem collapses and the whole thing they built around - great views and natural beauty - is wiped out by choking pollution and toxic runoff.

So every area where trees die, or where there's a fire, we'll hear developers saying, "Well, it shouldn't be a protected area NOW, since there's nothing there, right?"

And while I wouldn't want to see Perry's rent-a-mansion ($10,000+ per month, at taxpayers' expense, for years now!) burned, I *would* start to ask his supporters if maybe they didn't see it as some kind of sign from their "god" that Perry is all that is evil and wrong with the state of Texas... They're big on omens and portent and such.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Monday, September 5, 2011 3:10 PM

DREAMTROVE

Oh no!

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

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Monday, September 5, 2011 5:05 PM

"The summer of 2011 now holds every major heat record for the city of Austin, including most 100° days (67), hottest month in recorded history (August, by a remarkable 2.1°), hottest summer (by 1.1°), and hottest day in history (112°F.)"

-Quote from wonderground.com posted at http://spaghettimodels.com/

My hope is that the trees are just making use of their evolutionary wisdom and taking a short break. Tropical Storm Nate (or possibly Maria, but I think the M name will go to Invest 95, the next big one coming across the Atlantic)

Nate will hit Texas next weekend and bring spring back to those trees. I hope. My fingers are crossed!

I pray (in my atheist way) to Mother Nature - a chaotic deity if their ever was one - for your greenbelts. I've been to Austin. I've seen the trees and green lawns. I don't want to believe they are destroyed. At worst, you'll have some bare years, but they'll be back someday.

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hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

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Monday, September 5, 2011 5:35 PM

Photo of downtown Austin, taken today.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 6:24 AM

... fully loaded, safety off...

Ok Kwicks - what's the plan? How *tight* are things getting?

http://boingboing.net/

"It's Labor Day.

We woke this morning with the smell of fire in North Austin. During the night 300 houses were consumed by wildfire, west of the town of Bastrop. We decided to visit the flames: we put our boots on and hit the road with an iPhone, iPad, and an iMac. Thank you Jobs.

Witnessing the places of disaster is the best way of coping with fear and anxiety. After months of severe drought in Texas, and record temperatures almost every day and up to 112 F, massive wildfire was only to be expected. Climate change activists are angry with the denial of history and science, fossil politics, fossil corporations.

As we approach the growing disaster area, we see the cars of refugees, trucks, tractors fleeing a wall of smoke. An old black settler tells us: never seen a drought like this in my life, born here raised here… Reminds me of numerous refugees flows I saw in war zone areas: same blank frightened faces, and a stubborn will not to depart from the scene of crime.

An agitated girl approaches the police car that blocks off a back road: I must go in there, I have a dog…after a pause she says in a lower voice, and a house…

Everybody around here has a house. They are drinking beer in a local roadside bar under the smoke volcano. Everyone has a mobile phone. There is air conditioning and sports on TV.

The local radio is reporting on needs of fire refugees, electricity repairs and the merciless weather. Nobody knows if this outbreak of fire is going to last a day, a week… We gaze around the horizon and count the columns of smoke rising, east, west, south.

My American friend looks at the ranches around us, remembering his dad's land and how Texas ranchers always fret over the skies for their crops. But this new war with unnatural nature looks like Kuwait aflame during the Gulf War. Federal airplanes and helicopters are like gnats against the smoke plumes.

Don't trespass, warns a sign on the barbed wire: my American friend risks the thousand dollar fine to get a good shot of the sixteen-mile smoke panorama. High tech surveillance choppers supervise the endangered territory. They dump huge buckets of water on long swaying cables. I carefully study the pane of glass in my palm and learn how to tweet an Instagram.

As 9/11 approaches its 10th anniversary I think how much the world has changed. Disaster scenes are the new normality: with blurry but efficient technologies that witness the death of progress, the denial of science."

I've been to Austin too, and Houston and Dallas... I like Austin a lot.

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 7:30 AM

STORYMARK

I have a friend who has been struggling with depression for a while. So, she decided to make a change. This spring, she declared that in September - she's movin to Austin!! So, despite having no money, no job, and the fact that the state is rather literally going to hell... she's leaving in mere hours.

I pray for her.

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 8:10 AM

Temperatures are holding around 90-92 degrees for the highs, which is a HUGE break for the firefighters battling these infernos, and thankfully the winds have died down, which is enabling crews to get a leg up on the worst of the fires.

It's still hazy and smoky all around, you can still smell the smoke in the air, but they think they're getting a handle on the worst of it.

And the outpouring of generosity and help is more than overwhelming. Every time I start to think we might be screwed as a species, we somehow manage to find a way to listen to the better angels of our nature and pull together.

Offers are pouring in - people helping to take care of horses, livestock, pets, people - I've made my home available to anyone who needs a place to regroup and chill a bit, and may have a couple takers lined up. Meanwhile, all over town people are spontaneously gathering to donate and offer help in any way they can - labor, money, goods, food, you name it. It's amazing to see a community actually come together and act like a COMMUNITY again. As one radio pundit put it this morning, "In two weeks we'll be flipping each other off in traffic again, but right here, right now, these people need our help, and we're obligated to help them because they'd do the same for us."

And of course, one radio guy had to whine because Obama hasn't come here to tour the area. Myself, I'd tell him to stay the hell out of the area; we don't need the traffic headaches and security hassles! Wanna help? Send money. Send equipment. Send the freaking National Guard with bulldozers and tanks (Fort Hood has a whole bunch, I've heard) to make some fire-breaks and firelines to head these things off.

But we're going to hang tight, hang together, and hang in there, and we'll be fine.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 8:15 AM

... fully loaded, safety off...

Cool - yeah, that sounds like Austin - glad to hear you aren't flipping a coin over whether to stay or go. I'm not sure I could leave my home no matter who told me it was the best thing to do.

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 8:18 AM

Oh, and that technology has come in quite handy - there are tons of Facebook pages and Twitter feeds directing people when and where to go to help, directing volunteers, etc.

It really is awesome to see this stuff used to do some real good.

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 8:22 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:
Cool - yeah, that sounds like Austin - glad to hear you aren't flipping a coin over whether to stay or go. I'm not sure I could leave my home no matter who told me it was the best thing to do.

Oh, we've got our bug-out bags packed and ready. Like a friend said about the last hurricane that came through, "This shit don't play around." It's not a matter of *want* when it comes time to evacuate; it's a matter of life and death.

Nobody's died here, yet. There was a young mom and her 18-month-old baby killed further east of us when they couldn't get out of their house in time, and the fire surrounded the house and then consumed it.

All comes down to it, it's all just *stuff*. I can lose it all and start again. I moved to Austin with a wife and what we could fit in the back of an '84 Civic, so it's not like it would be the first time. ;)

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 8:38 AM

BYTEMITE

Well, at least that tropical storm didn't damage much and broke up the heat dome a little. Still hoping for some actual rain for you.

If you do have to evacuate and you won't be in touch for a while, drop us a line on a computer when you can.

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 8:47 AM

... fully loaded, safety off...

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:
Cool - yeah, that sounds like Austin - glad to hear you aren't flipping a coin over whether to stay or go. I'm not sure I could leave my home no matter who told me it was the best thing to do.

Oh, we've got our bug-out bags packed and ready. Like a friend said about the last hurricane that came through, "This shit don't play around." It's not a matter of *want* when it comes time to evacuate; it's a matter of life and death.

Nobody's died here, yet. There was a young mom and her 18-month-old baby killed further east of us when they couldn't get out of their house in time, and the fire surrounded the house and then consumed it.

All comes down to it, it's all just *stuff*. I can lose it all and start again. I moved to Austin with a wife and what we could fit in the back of an '84 Civic, so it's not like it would be the first time. ;)

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

It's good you have already decided and are ready - one less complication.

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 11:24 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Mike, I'm worried about you. Do keep in touch, one way or another, okay? I'll send you my phone number...if you have to evacuate and can't get to a computer, call me and I'll get word to everyone you're okay, 'kay? We'll all be thinking about you, I can guarantee, until this settles down.

If time/energy/ability permits, keep us updated; hearing it from someone who's "there" really helps! Take care of YOU!

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 1:18 PM

Good news / Bad news dept.

Bad news:

2 people have died in the Bastrop fire, apparently. :( No real details coming in yet, just confirmation that it happened. Dammit, I keep trying to say, FUCK THE *STUFF*! It can be replaced! PEOPLE can't be.

Bastrop (the big fire) has now expanded to 34000 acres, 550+ homes destroyed, but they say they've got it about 50% contained as of now.

Good news:

The best news is the winds died down yesterday and today, so much progress is being made.

Bad news:

Another couple fires have cropped up to my southwest (don't worry - they're about 18 miles from me), near the town of Dripping Springs, and have claimed a combined 6000 acres and 60 homes.

More bad news:

The Steiner Ranch fire is still less than 50% contained. This one took out 24 homes and heavily damaged at least 30 others.

Leander had its own fire raging (this is a suburb northwest of Austin), but no real word on how bad it is. ETA: just got a report that 11 homes destroyed, 18 others heavily damaged in this one.

Spicewood, west of town, is still evacuated, with no real word on what's going on. Highways were closed over the weekend, but are being reopened to limited traffic now, for those who live in the area.

Good news:

Most of the fires are getting put under control, slowly but surely. When a fire has a front 16 miles long (the Bastrop fire, at its peak), it's kinda hard to head it off...

People here are stepping up to an amazing degree. Nobody is giving in, no one is giving up. As the guy in "Tremé" says, "Won't bow. Don't know how." That's the overwhelming feeling here. We'll beat this.

I'm incredibly lucky - all of this destruction is staying away from me, at least for now. I'm swamped at work, but we're working with some others to get stuff gathered up to donate to those who lost everything. I know I say it's all just stuff, but that's easy to say when you haven't lost 100% of yours!

I keep my iPod in my bug-out bag, so even if I do have to bail, I'll have at least *some* i-net access anywhere I can get WiFi. I'll be fine; others need help.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 1:39 PM

... fully loaded, safety off...

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Good news / Bad news dept.

Bad news:

2 people have died in the Bastrop fire, apparently. :( No real details coming in yet, just confirmation that it happened. Dammit, I keep trying to say, FUCK THE *STUFF*! It can be replaced! PEOPLE can't be.

That's the trick isn't it - how to know when it's time to GO! Hard to judge how fast these things travel, hard to get news on where it's at right now I would think, what the level of danger is exactly... I can imagine that some people just didn't get word. How would you know?

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 2:31 PM

Thanks for your concerns, all, but really, I'm fine.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

Here's a map of the area. I'm in Sunset Valley. Quite a few homes between me and any fires, in any direction. I'm keeping a few things handy in the car, ready to go, and in case anything really horrible happens while I'm at work and away from home.

I've just had a call from an old friend from San Angelo; he's organizing a couple benefit events to help out folks down here - one in San Angelo at a venue called Sealy Flats, where they're donating a Sunday and all profits and the concessions and door receipts (he's got five bands committed to play so far), and another down here at Poodie's (Poodie was the main roadie for Willie Nelson for years before he retired and opened up his own bar west of town in the hills), with proceeds going to help out victims of the fires.

People from all over the state - the nation, really - are coming to the aid of those in need, and are much appreciated for the thoughtfulness and generosity.

Again, I thank you all for your concern, but I've lost nothing, and am more concerned with helping others at present. And I know that if I am in need, others will be there for me.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 4:34 PM

the fast moving fire around Plantersville/ Magnolia forced my bf's family and critters to evacuate. They are safe, waiting to hear if they have a home to return to. My area is less rural and not having the issues so far but we are on water restrictions.

Browncoats are the shiniest folks in the 'verse
www.texasartcat.com/bluesun.html <--my bluesunshop

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 5:33 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

"Again, I thank you all for your concern, but I've lost nothing ..."

That's a relief to hear.

Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in taxpayer funded bailouts, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes?

Yeah, me neither....

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011 5:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by artcat81:
the fast moving fire around Plantersville/ Magnolia forced my bf's family and critters to evacuate. They are safe, waiting to hear if they have a home to return to. My area is less rural and not having the issues so far but we are on water restrictions.

Browncoats are the shiniest folks in the 'verse
www.texasartcat.com/bluesun.html <--my bluesunshop

And that's got to be one of the hardest parts - the waiting, the not knowing if you've lost your home or not. My thoughts are with y'all, and I sincerely hope they've got a home to return to!

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Wednesday, September 7, 2011 1:22 PM

Got news today that an old CRX (Honda) buddy has lost his home and his prized CRX in the fires. Kinda worried, because his house is about 10 miles away, but it's to the south of me, where I didn't think there were any fires active!

Today was a better day for the firefighters, but the smoke is being held close to the ground by the cooler temperatures. Walking the dogs, it looked almost foggy, and was quite hard to breathe; I was coughing by the time we got done.

Bastrop fire is beyond 38,000 acres now, over 575 homes gone, and less than 30% contained.

A year ago today, Tropical Storm Hermine came to Austin, bringing us 15 inches of rain in 24 hours. Since that day, we've had two occasion where we got more than an inch of rain in a day. This has been the driest 12-month period ever recorded in Texas.

And the beat goes on, as if born under punches...

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Wednesday, September 7, 2011 4:31 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER

Gosh, Kwicko, I missed all this about you and the fires in Texas. Hasn't made the news here. Hope you are okay and my thoughts are with you. I've been in this situation before, and its shitty.

Take care, stay safe and keep updating.

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Wednesday, September 7, 2011 4:57 PM

Tropical Storm Nate is taking his sweet time, wondering about the Gulf trying to figure out where the hell to go. There's some chance he'll circle up your way before heading into Mexico, though it'll be a few days at least. If so, you'll catch the rainier side of the spiral. That would be awful nice, even if it blows some of those poor dried up trees down.

My fingers are crossed, hoping for the best.

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hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

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Wednesday, September 7, 2011 5:25 PM

BYTEMITE

Somehow it would be fitting if a storm named Nate helped saved the homeland of a browncoat.

^_^' Sorry.

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Wednesday, September 7, 2011 7:18 PM

Beir bua agus beannacht

I'm glad to hear that your family is okay Quicko. I hope Art Cat's boyfriend's family has a house to go home to after this is over. That sounds like such a scary situation, I've never been in such a perdicament. We do get wildfires here, one that is closer to my camping place than I'm comfortable with, but we never have them in my city. Do whatever you have to do to keep you and yours safe, I assume you have a plan for where you will go if you have to leave home for a bit Quicko?

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Thursday, September 8, 2011 1:57 AM

JesuCristo! - They've just given new updates on the number of homes destroyed in Bastrop: 1386! Yesterday they were saying 575, but now they've been able to get into more areas to get a good look, and it's far worse than they thought.

Our 6000-acre Lost Pines forest is now less than 100 acres.

This was a pine forest in the middle of Texas, where it really wasn't supposed to be, and was thought to be a remnant of the last great ice age, similar to the Lost Maples area further west of us. And now it's all gone.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Thursday, September 8, 2011 2:06 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

all those who are suffering.

a beautiful forest that can never be replaced.

for Nate--c'mon Nate!

Take care of YOU, and good luck to all.

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Thursday, September 8, 2011 7:21 AM

Thanks hun! Looks like his folks place is probably completely gone, but they got out safely along with all of their critters, everything else can be replaced or rebuilt. This is still conjecture, they have not been allowed back to their property yet and evacuated on Monday.

It is quite surreal, the city this morning was cloaked in a smokey haze, and you can smell the burning in the air ( and I'm in the city itself well away from the fires).

Some of the meteorologists in the past two hours are starting to get excited about Nate, looks like it is trying to shift to move North, they will know more tomorrow. it's weird hoping we will have to board things up for a hurricane or tropical storm).

Saw a post for the Bedlam Bards, look like they were in the way of the Bastrop fires, so they have evacuated as well.

Browncoats are the shiniest folks in the 'verse
www.texasartcat.com/bluesun.html <--my bluesunshop

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Thursday, September 8, 2011 11:07 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Glad they got the critters out, too...when you go through something like that, having a furry friend who looks to you and loves you unconditionally can make a big difference, and losing one or more that you loved can make it that much worse. I know a lot had to cut and run without their pets, and ranchers could only open the gates to let the cattle fend for themselves, so I'm happy for them. Hope Nate gets his ass in gear and MOVES--in the right direction!--quickly.

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Thursday, September 8, 2011 11:37 AM

Beir bua agus beannacht

That's horrible about all those houses and the special forest, that is so very sad.

:(

I sure hope Nate gets blown your way.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Thursday, September 8, 2011 5:12 PM

This is nuts. It's like there's an invisible force pushing moisture away from Texas.

(Actually, there is. It's called air pressure. You know, the weather. But I'm sure I could find some mystical reason. You know, something catchy about the will of God, which I just happen to know and it just happens to line up my political and personal views.)

But I still hold out hope for Nate. If anyone can fight the impossible fight, he can!

ETA: Ok, the animated one has issues. You can see it for real halfway down the page here: http://spaghettimodels.com/

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hmm-burble-blah, blah-blah-blah, take a left

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Thursday, September 8, 2011 6:54 PM

I hold out hope for Nate, but I'm also a realist, and the last tracking info I saw had Nate hitting too far to the south to do much for Austin, but at least West Texas should get some relief. They need it, too!

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Thursday, September 8, 2011 8:11 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

I just have to say this - why does god hate Texas? did Perry's prayer-a-thon give her gas?

Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in taxpayer funded bailouts, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes?

Yeah, me neither....

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Friday, September 9, 2011 1:43 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
I just have to say this - why does god hate Texas? did Perry's prayer-a-thon give her gas?

Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in taxpayer funded bailouts, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes?

Yeah, me neither....

That's what I keep wondering. If it's all up to "god", and Perry keeps holding prayer-a-thons, and things keep getting worse and worse, then isn't that a sure sign to the faithful that "god" hates Texas, or at least hates Rick Perry?

Earthquake in Haiti? God's punishing Haiti. Earthquake in DC? God's punishing DC. Hurricane on the East Coast? God's punishing DC again. Drought and fires in Texas? Ummmmmm... Oh look - over there - God's punishing us for San Francisco's sins!

So once again we come to the conundrum: Either their "god" is just a mean-spirited spiteful little prick with a stick up his ass, or he/she has REALLY shitty aim. Either way, I don't see any cause to *worship* such behavior.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Friday, September 9, 2011 12:49 PM

In Texas, the governor is a figurehead. The real power is held by the Lieutenant Governor and the Railroad commissioner.

According to our state constitution the Lt. Governor acts as our president. Comically the Railroad commissioner does not regulate railroads anymore but does regulate the oil & gas industry.

Sorry! not a direct reply to your post, just something that has been really bugging me since the Gov. joined the race.

Browncoats are the shiniest folks in the 'verse
www.texasartcat.com/bluesun.html <--my bluesunshop

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Friday, September 9, 2011 12:55 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by artcat81:
In Texas, the governor is a figurehead. The real power is held by the Lieutenant Governor and the Railroad commissioner.

According to our state constitution the Lt. Governor acts as our president. Comically the Railroad commissioner does not regulate railroads anymore but does regulate the oil & gas industry.

Sorry! not a direct reply to your post, just something that has been really bugging me since the Gov. joined the race.

Browncoats are the shiniest folks in the 'verse
www.texasartcat.com/bluesun.html <--my bluesunshop

You are correct, but if Rick Perry wants to take 100% of the credit for everything that happens in Texas, he also gets to take at least some of the blame.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

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Sunday, September 11, 2011 7:33 PM

Beir bua agus beannacht

The earth will do what the earth will do. If God wants to interfere He can, but I personally believe he usually does it on a more "local" level than on a grand level. He certainly can and does totally alter stuff now and again, but I've noticed that in my experience He tends to give people strength instead of fixing the problem, because the earth is set up this way, it does these things, maybe somehow, in some way that people don't understand, the earth needs to do this or else things will get out of alignment. I don't know. it just really sucks brick that all these events of the earth are coinciding right where you guys are.

Quicko and Art Cat, can you give us a report on what's going on now? I hope that the fires are getting more controlled and that no more homes are burning. And the loss of the forest makes me sad, is there any remnant left?

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, September 12, 2011 2:54 AM

Amen hun! Like our educational system?

I voted for Kinky :p

Fires are still burning up North of Houston and also to the east. my very urban area is fine just very hazy. we are about 20-24" below average so far this year and still under that wicked high pressure area

Cedric of the Bedlam Bards is also a licensed Hypnotist, he has confirmation his hypnotism office is gone due to the fires (in Bastrop).

Browncoats are the shiniest folks in the 'verse
www.texasartcat.com/bluesun.html <--my bluesunshop

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Monday, September 12, 2011 1:56 PM

Beir bua agus beannacht

That's too bad Art Cat.
I want one of those On The Drift CDs, been meanin to pick up one for a while now.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, September 12, 2011 3:35 PM

Bastrop fire is rumored to be 50% contained now. No rain on the horizon, still.

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Monday, September 12, 2011 4:18 PM

Musician that he is, he has already written a song:

Browncoats are the shiniest folks in the 'verse
www.texasartcat.com/bluesun.html <--my bluesunshop

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Monday, September 12, 2011 5:10 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

Damn - no rain forecast. Not what I wanted to hear.

Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in taxpayer funded bailouts, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes?

Yeah, me neither....

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Tuesday, September 13, 2011 6:47 AM

20% chance of rain this weekend, its not much, but I'm hoping. The tri-county fire (Montgomery, Grimes, and Waller), seems to be getting under control, they may start allowing some folks back in.

Apparently some folks that tried to force their way back in had vehicles confiscated (not confirmed this info is third hand).

Browncoats are the shiniest folks in the 'verse
www.texasartcat.com/bluesun.html <--my bluesunshop

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Tuesday, September 13, 2011 6:56 PM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

"... 20% chance of rain this weekend ..."

Here in So Cal even slightly moister cooler air (air that is not bone dry and blowing in from the desert) is considered a good thing to help get fires under control.

Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in taxpayer funded bailouts, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes?

Yeah, me neither....

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 4:01 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Kiki, did you get any of that last one? I heard you might, and that it MIGHT reach as far North as San Jose. We got the outer rims of it, and the overcast was lovely and it was muggy--FELT like rain, even if none came. Admittedly CA isn't suffering from the drought we have had recently, and is NOTHING like Texas, but you guys always get less than us, so I always hope you get whatever comes through.

Mike, how goes it down there? Your fires have been eclipsed by politics (of course!) recently, so I haven't heard much, if anything. I hope they're getting the fires under control at LEAST, even if the drought hasn't broken.

I DID hear a bit about people trying to get back to their homes being stopped, but not about cars being confiscated; that's just plain stupid, to me!

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
Contracted Agent of Veritas Oilspillus, code name “Nike”,
signing off

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 8:41 AM

Great news! The bf's family were finally allowed back in, and their place is still standing. The fires were definately on their land, but spared them home. Couldn't ask for any better results for them. Power and water are fully functional too.

Browncoats are the shiniest folks in the 'verse
www.texasartcat.com/bluesun.html <--my bluesunshop

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 8:50 PM